Caught the robber!

It's been awhile since I've posted anything - not too much exciting going on in the foggy, cold northwest! I do have to stake my claim as a successful trapper however.... This rascal has been stealing cat food, shredding the storage container and the panel that covers the cat door in the shop, scaring fish in the pond (and swiping one occasionally I suspect) for several months. Earlier efforts at trapping were unsuccessful but I think the cold weather made the pot of cat food more appealing. All I can say is, I'm glad I never met this guy in a dark alley.

Look at the photo closely - that flat panel is the trigger - it used to be attached to the cage, but not anymore! There was also a little tuna can in the corner (it held the bait) it used to be attached to the cage by a couple of wire attachments too - not anymore. The trap is made out of bent wire fencing surrounded by a layer of chicken wire.... not anymore! The 'coon tore away the chicken wire and excavated a hole big enough to bury a chicken in his unsuccessful attempts to get out.

A lively 20 pound 'coon in a wire trap is a handful - especially at 7:30 in the morning when you have to get to work. Bless his heart, my neighbor Jim offered to take the critter upriver and "give him a new home." I hope it's far enough away that he's become someone else's problem and doesn' t come back here. I hate to think of the alternative. There's certainly something appealing about a raccoon - they're smart, they're cute, they have "hands" and eat the same things we do... well, close. I haven't eaten much cat kibble lately! I guess I admire their ingenuity and stamina... 'just wish this one would demonstrate it somewhere else! Respect aside, if he comes back he's getting turned into a hat! Adams Taxidermy just set up shop only a mile down the road!